Ugh, Here Come THE CHRISTIANS Again!

An ignorant article from Newswer, this time by staff writer Rob Quinn, who really should know better, except that he’s just trolling for link bait with titles like: “Christians Hit Back at Apple for Blocking ‘Anti-Gay’ App.”

The application in question is called The Manhattan Declaration, and it’s basically just an attempt to get folks to sing a petition of the same name. The “Declaration” claims to be a “Call of Christian Conscience.” What they, as “Christians,” (indicating themselves as representatives of us all) got together and said runs thus: “In this declaration we affirm: 1) the profound, inherent, and equal dignity of every human being as a creature fashioned in the very image of God, possessing inherent rights of equal dignity and life; 2) marriage as a conjugal union of man and woman, ordained by God from the creation, and historically understood by believers and non-believers alike, to be the most basic institution in society and; 3) religious liberty, which is grounded in the character of God, the example of Christ, and the inherent freedom and dignity of human beings created in the divine image.” I pulled this straight from the text of the “Declaration,” available here. I don’t link it so you’ll go there. I just want to be clear in terms of attribution.

Mixed messages, designed to make the agenda easier to swallow. This manifesto claims it’s anti-gay marriage bias is one that must naturally be shared by anyone who calls themselves a Christian.

Honestly, I don’t care what they claim. It’s dumb, in my opinion, and doesn’t square with what I know about scripture or God. What I object to is the abundance of times the word “Christian” appears in this manifesto. It’s exactly the kind of thing that a lazy writer would pick up on and repeat verbatim. Witness Mr. Quinn’s unqualified characterization of folks who got angry when the app was pulled: “Christians.”

Would it kill journalists to add the word “some?” Or even, “Right-wing?” Just one simple qualification, and we might have a shot at mitigating some of the damage by once again flouting what those loony “Christians” are up to, so that smug Very-Spiritual-But-Not-Religionists can joke about the irrelevance of what happens on Sunday morning.

An open plea to the press: PLEASE, PLEASE do not lump us all together like this. Please stop saying “Christian groups say,” or “Christians object.” Say “some Christians,” or even the genteel “certain Christians.” And furthermore, please also note that there are many of us who did not sign that Declaration, who cannot sign that declaration, and it’s specifically because WE ARE CHRISTIANS TOO. It’s almost as ignorant as making statements like, “The Bible says,” without specifying which book.

Sorry to be ranting in Advent, but this one bothers me consistently when I see it. Those of us who take more measured approaches to the “secular” aspects of our lives together may still well be followers of Jesus Christ.